Julianna Peña’s next competition will happen on a wrestling mat in the Gulf. The former two-time UFC women’s bantamweight champion makes her Real American Freestyle debut against Diana Avsaragova at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena, promotion officials announced Monday. MMA Junkie reported the booking first, and RAF posted it on X with the line “THE CARD KEEPS GETTING BETTER.” The event streams on FOX Nation.
The date is the part that jumps off the page. Nov. 14 is also UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden, where Kayla Harrison makes her first bantamweight title defense against Amanda Nunes. Peña has shared a cage with both of them in title fights, and she’ll be competing in Abu Dhabi on the same day they settle the belt in New York.
Peña (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is 37 and hasn’t competed since Harrison submitted her to take the title at UFC 316 in June 2025. After that loss she talked about going into the fight carrying injuries, and Bloody Elbow noted those injuries appear to be what kept her off RAF cards until now. Harrison’s first defense took more than a year to materialize because of a significant neck injury of her own. Peña also holds the upset submission over Nunes from their first meeting at UFC 269, which gives Saturday night in New York an odd extra layer for her.
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She already knows the RAF building from the other side of the table. Peña debuted as a commentator for the promotion last October, so this is a broadcaster stepping off the headset and onto the mat, which is a move I’d love to see more color commentators try.
Avsaragova comes from a wrestling background and is 6-2 in MMA, with fights under the Bellator and PFL banners.
The pairing lands on a card Bloody Elbow now describes as complete. Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington headline for a crossover cruiserweight championship, with Arman Tsarukyan vs. Neiman Gracie, Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Urijah Faber and Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Giga Chikadze also booked. The pure wrestling side is loaded too. Jordan Burroughs meets Azamat Nurykau, Kyle Dake defends his cruiserweight title against Arslan Begenjov, Kyle Snyder defends at light heavyweight against Shamil Erdogan, Kennedy Blades puts her women’s middleweight belt up against Bella Mir and Abdulrashid Sadulaev faces Dauren Kurugliev.
My take: freestyle rules strip away the thing that won Peña two UFC titles, which was her willingness to absorb damage and keep coming forward until the other woman broke. There are no punches to walk through on a wrestling mat, and there’s no submission to fish for when a scramble goes sideways. It’s position, points and hand fighting, and the opponent with the wrestling pedigree is Avsaragova. I’m picking Avsaragova on points, with Peña’s grit making it closer than the resumes suggest. Then Peña gets to find out who holds the belt she used to own, probably while she’s still sweating through her singlet backstage at Etihad Arena.
